Air-line-pipe connection.



L. STEIDLE.

AIR LINE PIPE CONNECTION.

APPLICATION FILED APR.19,I916.

132mm. Patented Apr. 3, 1917.

amuawto'c Lawns 5mm m: Nouns rzrsns cm, pnoro-Lmm. WASNANGTDN, n. c.

LEWIS STEIDLE, OF MAUCH K, PENNSYLVANIA.

AIR-LINE-PIPE CONNECTION.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 3, 1917.

Application filed April 19, 1916. serial No. 92,234.

To all whom; it may concern:

Be it known that I, Lnwrs STEIDLE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Mauch Chunk, in the county of Carbon and State of Pennsylvania, have invented cer-,

-air line pipe connections for railway cars and has for its primary object to provide simple and serviceable means for connecting the train line pipe sections on adjacent cars to each other, said means including auxiliary pipe connections, and a single flexible hose member adapted to be coupled to either one of the auxiliary pipe sections on one car and the train line pipe on an adjacent car so that in the -event of injury or breakage of the cut-off cooks for the pipes, the hose connection may be transferred from the broken pipe to the other uninjured pipe connections.

It is an additional object of the invention to provide a device of the above character which is simple in its construction, serviceable and reliable in practical use, and may be utilized in the ordinary air brake systems now employed vwithout necessitating any material alterations therein.

With the above and other objects in view, my invention consists in the novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter more fully described, claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein I have illustrated a top plan View of portions of the bottom frame of a locomotive, tender, and two coaches, with my improved air pipe connections applied thereto. I Referring in detail to the drawing, 5 designates the train line pipe sections of an air brake system, which are suitably mounted upon the several cars or coaches. For the purpose of illustration, I have shown the present invention applied only to the train line pipes, but it is to be understood that it is employed in like manner between the several air conducting pipe sections carried by the coaches for supplying air for varlous purposes. It will be noted that the ends of the pipe sections 5 on ad acent cars, project longitudinally beyond the transverse sill beams on relatively opposite sides of the draw bars, and are each provided with the usual cut-ofi cock 6. In each of these pipe sections 5, inwardly of the cock 6, a coupling member 7 is arranged and is provided with a suitable cut-off valve or cock. One end of an auxiliary service pipe 8 is connected to the coupling member 7 said auxiliary pipe having an angular portion extending in parallel relation to the pipe 5 and also projecting beyond the transverse sill beam of the car and on the relatively opposite side of the draw bar indicated at D. This projecting end of the pipe 8 is likewise equipped with a cut-off cock 9. It is also to be' particularly observed that the projected end portion of the pipe 8 is laterally and outwardly directed, as indicated at 8, so that no interference is afforded to the draw bars coupling or uncoupling of the. hose connections 10 to be hereinafter re ferred to.

10 indicates the flexible hose connection which is threaded or otherwise connected at one of its ends to the cock 6 on the end of one of the pipe sections 5. The other end of said hose is connected by a suitable coupling 11 to the end of the auxiliary pipe 8 on the other car. It frequently happens that the connection between the hose and the pipe sec tions 5 will break at the thread, and in such a case, by means of the present invention, the hose section 10 may be removed and applied to the other auxiliary pipe 8 and the pipe section 5 on the opposite side of the draw bar D so that a connection between the air pipe sections of the several cars will again be established, thus permitting the engineer to have complete control of the train without requiring the application of the hand brakes by the trainmen.

In the connection between the line pipes on the locomotive and the tender, the auxiliary pipes 8 and cut-off cocks are dispensed with, the pipe sections being in line and con nected together by a single length of hose, as indicated at 12.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, the construction, manner of operation and several advantages of the invention may be clearly and fully understood. It will be seen that-I have produced a very simple and effective connection between the air line pipe sections and which permits the connection to be maintained in case of accident, and avoids the necessity of uncoupling and side-tracking one of the cars, the air brake mechanism of which may have become damaged or, for any other reason, rendered inoperative. The device may be inexpensively manufactured and can be used in connection with the ordinary train line pipe systems now in common use without requiring any alterations therein.

While I have shown and described the preferred construction and arrangement of the several features of the device, it will be understood that the same is susceptible of considerable modification therein and I, therefore, reserve the privilege of adopting all such legitimate changes as may be fairly embodied within the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I desire to claim and secure by Letters Patent is The combination with the pipe sections of an air brake system for railway trains, said pipe sectionsbeing disposed upon relatively opposite sides of the draw bars between adjacent coaches, an auxiliary pipe connected to the air supply pipe in spaced relation to its end and having an angularly disposed portion disposed in parallel relation to said supply pipe and projecting beyond the end of the coach and in line with the pipe section of the opposed coach, the projected portion of the auxiliary pipe being laterally and outwardly disposed, and a single flexible hose for interchangeable connection to either of the supply pipe sections on adjacent coaches and to the auxiliary pipe on the opposed coach.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

LEWIS STEIDLE.

Witnesses FRANCIS J. LENTZ, HENRY I-IILLEGAN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

7 Washington, D. C. 

